Stop this #anyonebuthawks madness

In the past two weeks there has been this disturbing little trend popping up on this website: #anyonebuthawks, and it’s left me wondering why? Why are people so intent on seeing a successful club fail?

For the record, I am a Geelong fan, and although my hopes and dreams of them hoisting the cup up on grand final day this year are considerably more fanciful, I still believe deep down it could happen.

However, if Geelong were to ultimately fail in their quest for 2016 premiership glory then I’ll be rooting for the Hawks to do it for a fourth time.

And why shouldn’t we?

We follow football in an age where this type of dominance is not allowed to happen – in fact it is structurally designed in a way where it can’t happen.

And yet, here is a team that is on top of the ladder and giving itself every chance of not just winning a fourth consecutive flag but also an equally impressive achievement of five consecutive grand finals.

That is simply incredible, however the tall poppy syndrome that is arguably the national emotion of this country has come to the fore, and all people can do is lament the success of Hawthorn instead of applauding it.

To be honest it’s a bit odd, because this country prides itself on having a bit of a maverick streak about it as well – we love getting behind things that go contrary to logic or expectation, a person or a group of people telling the man to shove it. Clearly tall poppy syndrome trumps maverick though. A shame.

Sure, the Hawks have had a bit of luck. You’d be crazy not to accept that. But isn’t that so often the case with winning teams anyway? They aren’t the first successful team to get the rub of the green from the umpires, and they won’t be the last. Winners make their own luck and capitalise on it. Losers just sit in the corner and whinge about an unfair system.

I also know that people will start banging on about how free agency has eroded some of the equality measures that the AFL had in place, and Hawthorn have been able to use this as their way of prolonging success.

Yes, absolutely true. Hawthorn have done extremely well out of free agency, and why shouldn’t they have? There are a lot of compelling reasons to move to Hawthorn besides premiership success.

1. An excellent coaching structure and team culture.
2. Excellent club management.
3. Stability

Few clubs can boast this. There was an article recently on The Roar that essentially said only three clubs can: Hawthorn, Sydney and Geelong. Personally, I would now consider adding Carlton into that mix – as unbelievable as that sounds.

Good stable clubs are able to attract the best talent in this market. We should be applauding clubs like these for being administratively excellent and lamenting the fact that other clubs aren’t even in the same postcode as them in terms of managerial competence.

Fancy being at Adelaide when Sanderson was one day the coach, until Mark Ricciuto said “nope”? Who’d want to be at Brisbane? Stable clubs attract players. It is not the fault of Hawthorn, nor is it the fault of their success, that Brisbane is a complete basket-case, and players rush to the exit.

The other card the #anyonebuthawks people play is draft picks and that if any other club got the draft picks Hawthorn had, then they would have run a few flags. Utter, utter garbage. How about actually applauding them for their shrewdness with the draft picks?

Carlton, Melbourne, Richmond, Carlton, Melbourne, Richmond, Gold Coast, Richmond, Melbourne, Richmond have had oodles of draft picks in the past decade – how did it work out for them? You need to pick the right talent first, and then you need to harness it appropriately. Why aren’t we ragging on a suite of clubs for not picking the great stars of Hawthorn when they had the opportunity?

Let’s revisit the 2001 super draft. Yes, Hawthorn got Luke Hodge as No.1 (so let’s rule him out), but they got Sam Mitchell at pick 36. Melbourne however in between those picks snagged Luke Molan, Steven Armstrong and Aaron Rodgers. Who the heck was Aaron Rodgers? Hawthorn even picked Rick Ladson in between Hodge and Mitchell. Basically, every club had at least two opportunities to pick Mitchell before the Hawks did, and yet no one did.

That’s not the fault of Hawthorn. Other clubs chose to pick other players. Heck, James Kelly and Stevie J were passed up by a stack of clubs too. Other clubs traded away their picks instead.

How about 2004? Is it Hawthorn’s fault that Richmond decided to pick Richard Tambling instead of prodigiously talented youngster Buddy Franklin? It is Hawthorn’s fault that Footscray picked Tom Williams instead of Jordan Lewis? No. Cyril Rioli? A stack of other clubs had their chance. You lie in the bed you make. Retrospective jealousy is a folly position.

Hawthorn has got an awesome list, one for the ages. Hawthorn also has an excellent coach. Again, one for the ages. This is not something we should be getting jealous about. That list won’t be around forever, and really, the end will come soon. No club system will be able to develop obtain like-for-like replacements of Luke Hodge, Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Shaun Burgoyne, Josh Gibson, Cyril Rioli etc.

Look no further than Geelong as an example – they have remained competitive, but not dominant because no one was going to be able to replace a Gary Ablett, James Kelly, Matthew Scarlett, Jimmy Bartel (in his prime) immediately. Dangerfield has helped, but there are still huge holes in the Geelong list that draft picks and the system haven’t been able to fill.

Hawthorn will fall eventually. All dominant teams in any sport eventually fall off the perch. The Australian cricket team fell and fell hard when the superstars left. But until they do, let’s enjoy the ride and see how long they can continue to defy the system. More power to them – unless that’s against the Cats, where I will want nothing less than a triple-digit humiliation of the Hawks.

P.S., for those who stick to the #anyonebuthawks nonsense, you are tacitly implying that you’d rather see a Ross Lyon-coached Fremantle win the flag! Let’s be sensible now.